Express & Star comment: Clarity needed on HS2’s future
There is no doubt that as the Tory leadership contest kicks up a gear next week, HS2 will be one of the major issues that candidates will use to further their ambitions in the party.
For the likes of Boris Johnson, calling for the line to be scrapped is seen as an easy way to hoover up support from the Conservative heartlands, where HS2 has always been considered a deeply controversial project.
While it has plenty of opponents here in the West Midlands, the words of Lord Digby Jones in this newspaper paint a very different picture.
For him, the line is a necessity so we can create space on Britain’s other transport networks.
Lord Jones is certainly no HS2 obsessive. Although he voted for the project he has long been a critic of its route, which carves through miles of stunning countryside.
What we all need to hear is some clarity on its future, either way.
This is particularly important for the villagers whose lives have been turned upside down by HS2.
